GIRARD-PERREGAUX – BRIDGES “Quasar Infrared” Tourbillon Sapphire Edition

 GIRARD-PERREGAUX – BRIDGES “Quasar Infrared” Tourbillon Sapphire 46 Edition Unique Pieces - 2021

Quasar Infrared – Making the invisible, visible

La Chaux-de-Fonds, 2021 - Building on the success of its Quasar Light and Quasar Azure models, Girard-Perregaux releases a new timepiece housed in a clear sapphire crystal case paired with red accents. The Quasar Infrared pays homage to the Chinese New Year with its red tones, employing a colour that evokes energy, vitality and prosperity. Beyond the model’s vibrant hues, the watch wonderfully plays with shapes and harnesses the Manufacture’s vast watchmaking expertise. Moreover, the Quasar Infrared makes the invisible, visible, transforming bridges from a technical element to an integral part of the timepiece, a characteristic Girard-Perregaux pioneered in 1867 with its legendary Tourbillon with Three Gold Bridges.

 

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As China looks forward to celebrating the New Year, a sense of optimism is omnipresent. With the start of the new Chinese Zodiac comes the opportunity for loved ones to come together, celebrate and look forward to better times. Girard-Perregaux shares this positive outlook and, in order to mark the occasion, is releasing a special one-off timepiece, the Quasar Infrared. This model is housed in a sapphire crystal case, a horological genre which has become a speciality of the house.

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A quasar is a massive, extremely luminous and remote celestial object which emits large amounts of energy. When viewed through a telescope it resembles a star-like point of light. The Manufacture chose this name for its Quasar creations as it encapsulates the model’s generous proportions, shapes, energy, its notable scarcity and its play with light. Inevitably, this provokes the question, ‘Why Infrared?’

 

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Infrared light is part of the electromagnetic spectrum and essentially invisible to the naked eye. However, with its distinctive red hues, Girard-Perregaux has made Infrared visible. In the 19th century, Girard-Perregaux viewed movement bridges as not merely functional components, but also as aesthetic elements. Over the years, the Manufacture has released a number of models sharing the same trait, namely, making the invisible, visible.

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 Patrick Pruniaux, CEO of Girard-Perregaux, remarks, “We wanted to create a watch that exudes vitality and evokes thoughts of good fortune and positivity. In Chinese culture, the colour red conveys these sentiments. The Quasar Infrared combines red hues with transparency and iconic shapes as well as our signature Three Bridges. This creation is modern but employs Girard-Perregaux’s vast expertise amassed over its 230-year history.”

 

The clear case allows Girard-Perregaux to showcase the art of precision engineering with every element of the model’s composition refined to the nth degree. The sapphire case is fashioned from a single sapphire disc. Thereafter, the disc is formed, milled and polished to create a smooth, homogenous surface, free of inclusions. This latter phase alone takes over 200 hours of work and hundreds of operations, employing techniques perfected over two centuries. Making the case, lugs and crown is protracted, but excellence is seldom achieved in haste.

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A notable attribute of the Quasar Infrared relates to its breathtaking transparency. Components which are normally hidden from view are freely shown. It is therefore imperative that each part is presented in flawless form. However, with 230 years of experience, Girard-Perregaux is able to meet such technical challenges.

Set within the azure blue case, the tourbillion seemingly floats. Its cage is lyre-shaped, a historical design dating back to the 19th century. However, this contemporary creation indulges the wearer with aerial views of the Neo Bridges, a Girard-Perregaux signature inspired by architectural structures. While these bridges appear futuristic, they continue to uphold the styling of La Esmeralda. The Grade 5 titanium bridges are set against the NAC treated mainplate, revealing the smallest details of the mechanism. Despite the modernity of this model, traditional hand-finishing is much in evidence.

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The tourbillon cage is powered by a unidirectional automatic winding system featuring a micro-rotor made of white gold. Comprised of 79 components and weighing a mere 0.25 grams, the low mass of the tourbillon cage consumes only small amounts of energy, augmenting the movement’s available power-reserve.

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The micro-rotor is intentionally positioned behind the barrel, contributing to the pure, uncluttered appearance of the Quasar Infrared’s fully skeletonised movement. The Dauphine-type hour and minute hands feature red luminescent treatment. The strap is presented in the same ebullient hues, bestowing the composition with a harmonious visual aspect.

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The Quasar Infrared is housed in a handblown floating glass sphere made in Switzerland, ensuring consistency with Girard-Perregaux’s origins. This unique piece is available in Girard-Perregaux’s Hong Kong boutique, located in K11 Musea.

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TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Model:  Quasar Infrared

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Reference:  99295-43-2004BAHA  - Unique Pieces

Movement
Reference: GP09400-1439
Winding: Self-winding mechanical
Diameter: 36.00 mm (16’’’)
Thickness: 9.54 mm

Power reserve: min. 60 hours
Number of components: 260, of which 27 jewels
Frequency: 21,600 Vib/h – (3 Hz)

Functions: Tourbillon, hours, minutes, small seconds on the tourbillon
Tourbillon
Tourbillon carriage composed of 79 components weighing only 0.250 grams
The iconic Girard-Perregaux bridges are made out of sapphire
Case
Material: Sapphire
Diameter: 46 mm
Height: 15.25 mm
Glass: sapphire anti-reflective ‘box’
Case-back: sapphire crystal ‘box’
Water resistance: 30 meters (3 ATM)
Dial
No dial. Skeleton
Hands: skeletonised, white gold, ‘Dauphine’ type, with luminescent material
Strap
Material:  high-gloss red calfskin strap featuring hand-stitching
Buckle: triple folding, white gold


Limited to Only 1 Pièce 

 
PRICE :

€ 322,000 EUR
$ 319,000 USD 

 

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Press release - 2021
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Press Contact:
Manager: Ivanne Perrinjaquet, iperrinjaquet@girard-perregaux.ch

Girard-Perregaux,
International PR : christine.giotto@girard-perregaux.com

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